X4: The Once and Future King
by nerdy uke
Summary: The second installment of my post-X2 AU. Sequel to "X3: Rise of the Phoenix." There are forces in this world, both mutant and human alike, who believe that a war is coming. Some have already tried to start one
1. The War Has Begun

_There are forces in this world, both mutant and human alike, who believe that a war is coming. Some have already tried to start one. And there have been casualties. Losses on both sides._

_The fragile peace between mutants and humans has nearly been shattered. I have seen a future with mutants and humans at war… the war does not end, and it destroys everything we hold dear._

xxxx

**X-Men 4: The Once and Future King**

xxxx

_**The War Has Begun**_

The car was excessively luxurious. As a former businesswoman, Emma Frost would normally recognize this as a ploy meant to impress and distract a potential associate, but she had no reason to suspect that motive from the person who had sent it for her. Besides: he knew her well enough to know it wouldn't work.

Emma was not dressed for a business meeting; neither was the man who accompanied her out of the car, but for him that distinction merely meant his attire was perhaps too casual. Emma was never dressed casually; she was always dressed to impress.

The Worthington Industries building was an immense skyscraper – also potentially dazzling to an inexperienced businessperson. But the lackey sent to guide them moved them quickly past the public face of the corporation, and they found themselves almost immediately at the CEO's office. Emma sighed with relief; they wouldn't be forced to dance through the ridiculous motions of corporate life.

Warren stood behind the desk; Emma blinked in surprise upon seeing his appearance. He was wearing some kind of uniform, but that was not what really got her attention. The white feathery wings he had previously possessed would have made it difficult enough for him to look the part of a mundane corporate titan; blue skin and metal wings made it almost impossible.

"Hello, Miss Frost," Warren greeted without a trace of emotion.

Emma didn't waste any time on pleasantries; not trivial ones, anyway. "Darling, not that I disapprove – blue is _such_ a flattering color for you, after all," and here she was not referring to his clothes, which were mostly white, "but what ever happened to you?"

Warren did not even try to force a smile in return, and Emma felt the first traces of trepidation. She glanced at her companion, Alex, who showed more overt signs of tension than Emma herself ever would.

"So," Emma went on, seeing that Warren was oddly not talkative despite having summoned them. "Your father dies under suspicious circumstances, leaving you in charge of the company. Thoroughly unoriginal, but effective. I didn't ever get the impression you were interested in corporate life. Why the sudden change of heart?"

"The same reason we need you, Miss Frost," a familiar voice called from behind them. Emma and Alex whirled around to see Magneto striding confidently towards them. "Resources."

"It _can't_ be safe for you to be in public like this," Emma pointed out, recovering from her surprise quickly.

Magneto smiled thinly. "I'll worry about that, my dear. You just worry about my offer."

Emma glanced from the seemingly emotionless Angel to Magneto. _No,_ she determined quickly. _Magneto couldn't have lobotomized him; even if he had the capability to do so, it's not his style._ She was already running through the list of psychics capable of such an action in her head as she asked, "What offer?" as much to cover her mental processing of the situation as anything else.

"To be on the right side in this war."

Emma crossed her arms. "I won't be one of your pawns, Magneto."

"Don't be naïve, Emma. Your school has been closed. Your former students are flocking to Xavier's glorified high school. What do you intend to do?"

"Undignified, guiltless indulgence," Emma answered honestly, with a trace of pride that did not match her words. "I have enough money left to do whatever I want wherever I want with whomever I want, after all."

"And what of revenge?" Warren re-entered the conversation.

Ah. There was that. "What precisely did you have in mind?"

"Why don't you join us on a little trip?" Magneto suggested pleasantly


	2. Welcome to Mutant High

Author's Note: Special thanks to Jess (FF.N user authorofdoomearth) for coming up with a credible way for Rogue to end up with Ms. Marvel's powers, which I have adapted with her permission.

_**Welcome to Mutant High**_

It was a thoroughly ordinary summer afternoon at Xavier's school. It was a Saturday, so the students – and teachers – were free to do whatever they wanted. The basketball courts and swimming pool were full and the library was empty. Even those seeking peace and quiet also sought the warmth of the sun on a day like this.

Peter was among those on the basketball court when Professor Xavier sought him. In fact, he had just stunned his opponents and delighted his teammates by springing off the ground and slamming the ball into the hoop for a slam dunk.

"Piotr!" Xavier called from just outside the court.

Peter disappointed his teammates by tagging in a substitute – a much smaller boy with blue hair – but he assured them, "I'll be back!" before stepping off the court. "What can I do for you, Professor?" he asked, then glanced up at the young man standing next to Xavier.

"Piotr, this is Jean-Paul. He's going to be a new student here."

Jean-Paul smiled warmly at Peter as they shook hands. "Hi," he greeted demurely.

Peter blinked. _Am I imagining things, or—?_

"I wondered if you would like to show Jean-Paul around the school," Xavier explained.

"Of course!" Peter answered eagerly – a bit _too_ eagerly, he silently chastised himself.

Xavier smiled as he turned to leave. "I'm sure you'll find you have a great deal in common," he suggested innocently.

Jean-Paul kept smiling at Peter, and Peter found himself reflexively smiling back as he enthusiastically began, "Welcome to Mutant High."

xxxx

At that moment, two recent graduates of "Mutant High" were on a rooftop somewhere in New York City.

Bobby and Rogue had been training with the X-Men for weeks, but they had still been on very few missions, so both of them couldn't help but feel a bit nervous.

"Keep your eyes open," Wolverine advised simply. As far as teachers went, Wolverine was hardly the least intimidating, but he had shown a surprising amount of patience with them so far. They felt safe with him nearby.

"The S.H.I.E.L.D. transport is arriving," Storm announced over the radio.

Wolverine grunted in reply, and they waited as the eerily noiseless vehicle landed on the roof. Two figures exited; a man and a woman, they could tell from a distance.

"Where the hell is Summers?" Nick Fury demanded as they approached.

Wolverine narrowed his eyes. "Nice to see you too, General. Who's the pretty lady?"

"This is Colonel Carol Danvers," Fury introduced the woman in military fatigues. "She's been working on the Magneto case for months, and she's the one who recently uncovered this particular wrinkle of the investigation. Colonel Danvers, this is Wolverine. Possibly the most dangerous teddy bear alive."

Wolverine shrugged casually. "This is Iceman and Rogue, but I'm sure you already knew that."

Fury smiled.

"So what the hell do you need, Nick?"

"I'll let Colonel Danvers explain," Fury answered.

The blonde nodded in acknowledgement. "Over the past few weeks, we've been noticing some very suspicious activities on the part of Mr. Warren Worthington. I believe you know of him?"

Logan glanced at Bobby and Rogue, both of whom shrugged helplessly. "Doesn't ring any bells," Wolverine admitted.

Danvers raised an eyebrow. "You know a lot of pretty boys with wings?"

"Oh, that bastard!" Wolverine recognized cheerfully. "He was hired muscle for Frost, wasn't he?"

Fury choked a laugh, and Danvers smiled. "Worthington is _far_ too financially secure to be hired muscle for anyone, Wolverine. He's the heir of a Fortune 500 Company."

"Oh."

"He recently made good on that inheritance," Danvers picked up. "Police couldn't prove anything, but… well, let's just say it didn't look good."

Wolverine crossed his arms. "Why are we suddenly interested in corporate scheming?"

"Because Worthington has turned his father's pharmaceutical company into the only weapons manufacturer that has the resources to compete with Stark Industries," Fury jumped back into the conversation. "And because he recently bought an island."

"We can't prove anything," Danvers went on, "but we're pretty sure he's working with Magneto."

Wolverine crossed his arms and frowned suspiciously. "So why are you all the sudden in the mood for all this sharing?"

"We need your help," Fury admitted. "If it gets out that the U.S. government – even S.H.I.E.L.D. – is interfering with a company the size of Worthington, a lot of very important people that have been 'not noticing' our activities will suddenly become a lot more interested."

Wolverine shook his head cynically. "Do we at least get a medal or something for this?"

Fury smiled. "I knew we could count on you."

Wolverine grunted. "Leave Xavier out of it, I'll take care of it myself."

"Like hell you will!" Bobby exclaimed.

"Language, young man," Wolverine mock chastised. "Kids these days."

"He's right," Storm's voice said over the intercom. "This is a job for the whole team, Logan."

"How long have you been listening, darlin'?"

"The whole time, of course."

Wolverine sighed. "There's no reason to drag everyone into this. I can handle a small-time punk like Worthington."

"But _not_ Magneto," Rogue pressed, joining the argument. "You're the _worst_ possible person to go after him alone."

"Look," Fury cut in. "I don't care _how_ you handle it, just handle it."

Wolverine raised a brow. "I know you're used to giving orders, bub, but—"

"Please," Danvers added with a wink.

"Alright," Wolverine conceded. "We'll take this back to Charlie, and we'll see what—" He stopped mid-sentence, suddenly sniffing the air.

"What?" Rogue asked.

Wolverine deployed his claws and spun around just in time to see someone rushing at him with impossible speed. Wolverine back flipped out of the way, only to be thrown backwards by a burst of flames from a second figure standing father away on the roof.

"Damn it!" Fury shouted, drawing his weapon and dropping behind cover.

Colonel Danvers surprised the three mutants by rising slightly into the air and flying towards the blur. She slammed into him at full speed with an uppercut, knocking what turned out to be a silver-haired young man onto the ground.

"Uh. You can fly," Rogue noted blankly.

"I'll explain later," Danvers answered. "Go help Wolverine."

Bobby had already transformed into ice form, and was working hard on keeping himself cool, knowing exactly whom they were facing when he saw the flames. Rogue had removed her gloves, planning on de-powering John as soon as they got close enough.

"Hello, John," he said as he approached the edge of the roof.

"Bobby," John answered with exaggerated friendliness. "Rogue." He grinned wickedly as he shot a huge burst of flames at them, but Bobby easily deflected it with an ice blast.

"Is that the best you can do?" Bobby challenged.

John surprised him by shooting a burst of flames directly at Rogue, which Bobby tried to block but was not completely successful. Bobby's heart jumped into his throat as he saw Rogue disappear over the side of the roof.

"Rogue!" he shouted, and the loss of concentration cost him dearly as Pyro suddenly engulfed him in flames, and he fell to his knees, quickly losing his cold form.

Pyro sneered maliciously as he watched his former friend weakening, but that only distracted him enough for him to not notice Wolverine until the other man staggered him with a sharp blow to the face.

Pyro staggered back, and Wolverine hit him again. Either punch would've been fatal if Wolverine had had his claws out. "You always were too arrogant for your own good," Logan chastised as John fell to the ground, but the boy fired another huge burst of flames at Wolverine, sending him to the ground with nasty-looking burns.

Wolverine didn't so much as cry out in pain, knowing that the burns would heal quickly, and Pyro was obviously too winded to take advantage of the attack. And then Danvers flew – that was taking some getting used to – across the roof to join them.

Bobby was unable to get up, but he gestured in the general direction of the side of the roof. "Rogue…" he managed weakly.

Danvers gasped when he saw the girl barely hanging off the side of the roof. Hastily making sure she had secure footing, Danvers leaned over and reached for the girl.

Rogue actually seemed to shy away from the contact, which confused Danvers. "Grab my hand!" she shouted over the sound of the wind.

Rogue shook her head desperately. "I dropped my gloves!" she tried to explain.

"Whatever!" Danvers insisted. "You'll die. Just grab my hand!"

"You don't understand!" Rogue protested, but it was too late.

Danvers grabbed Rogue's hand and with her super strength tried to haul her up the roof, but suddenly all the strength left her body. She gasped, and lost her footing. Rogue had been desperately trying to pry her hand away from Colonel Danvers', but suddenly realized she was dizzyingly high above the ground, and she clung desperately to her.

"Somebody!" Rogue screamed. "Help!"

But it was too late, and they were both falling away from the building, and Rogue didn't let go.

"Rogue!" Bobby shouted, finally managing to get to his feet and stagger over to the side of the building. He was just in time to see both women plummeting downward, and he screamed in horror. "No!"

There was a loud crash as Rogue landed on a car, crushing it. Danvers landed on a paved road nearby, and cracks formed all around her.

Pyro had recovered just enough to stand, and was about to shoot fire at Bobby again.

"Let's get the hell out of here," Quicksilver grabbed him by the arm.

Pyro shrugged away his hand. "Hell no. I'm going to finish this."

"There's too many of them," Quicksilver insisted. "We're getting out of here."

Pyro spat at the ground. "Who the hell died and made you king?"

"You idiot," Quicksilver insisted, motioning towards the horrified Bobby. "He's going to _kill_ you."

Pyro sighed, but reluctantly followed.

xxxx

Rather than waiting for Storm to bring the jet, Bobby and Wolverine accepted Fury's generous offer to fly them down to the street in the S.H.I.E.L.D. transport. Wolverine's hand was on the boy's shoulder the whole way down, steadying him, but Bobby barely noticed.

_He killed her. He actually killed her. That bastard… oh my God, Rogue… no…_

They landed almost silently next to the car Rogue had landed on, and Bobby ran out of the vehicle, hoping against hope that Rogue had somehow survived.

"Rogue…" he whispered in dull horror as he approached the ruined car. He jumped onto the hood and pulled himself onto what used to be the roof in order to see her. Rogue was lying in the middle of the car, crying—

No, that wasn't her crying, that had to be him… but… wait, no, _she was moving_!

"Rogue!" Bobby shouted in disbelief and elation, reaching for her.

Rogue slapped his hand away violently, and shoved him with a ridiculous amount of strength so that he went flying backwards through the air.

"DON'T TOUCH ME!" Rogue shouted, jumping out the car, looking around frantically as Fury and Logan also approached.

"Rogue, darlin'—" Wolverine started.

"STAY AWAY FROM ME! JUST STAY AWAY FROM ME!" And Rogue jumped into the air, and was suddenly flying away.

"Oh God," Fury whispered in dull horror, realizing what had happened. He walked over to the cracked pavement, and sure enough, Colonel Carol Danvers – codename Ms. Marvel – the indestructible woman… was dead.


	3. Stay Away from My Girl

_**Stay Away from My Girl**_

"_The dreams are getting worse. Scott, I keep feeling something terrible is about to happen."  
"I would never let anything happen to you."_

Not everyone was outside enjoying the warm air. In fact, Dr. Jean Grey had spent the vast majority of the day being medically examined by Dr. Hank McCoy, and then psychically examined by Professor X to look for any signs that the Phoenix entity was re-emerging.

Later in the evening, as she ate dinner alone with Scott rather than with the other professors, Jean balked at the attention. "Why are we doing this like I'm a cancer patient?" she pointed out. "Why are we all pretending this is a medical situation we can manage with conventional means?"

"It's just how we do things," Scott reasoned.

Jean twirled the pasta on her fork in an obviously disinterested manner. "We suspect I house the most powerful being in the universe somewhere in my body, Scott," Jean continued. "I'm a doctor, I have the exact same training, but I don't really see how an MRI is going to help."

Scott sighed as he cleared the table and went to do the dishes without continuing the subject.

Jean leaned on the counter next to him. "I'm serious, Scott. I just want things to get back to normal."

Scott turned to face her, and lightly took her hand in his. "I'm just glad you're okay," he said, disbelief and awe still evident in his voice at that simple declaration. His world had been shattered into a million pieces when he thought Jean was gone; now…

Jean smiled knowingly. "I'm not going anywhere, Scott."

Scott turned to put the dishes away, only to discover the cabinet door closing – apparently of its own volition – with all the dishes already safely tucked away.

Jean was grinning impishly when he turned back to her.

"You can't tell me _that's_ 'back to normal,'" Scott pointed out.

"We always knew it would be this easy for me eventually."

Scott crossed his arms. "This… 'Phoenix' just jumpstarted it, then? You still haven't told me exactly what happened."

Jean shook her head, her expression darkening. "I don't want to talk about it, Scott."

Scott had opened his mouth to pursue the matter farther, when Jean insisted, "I said I don't want to talk about it!"

Scott's hands were raised slightly in a placating gesture, and Jean immediately felt guilty for yelling. They embraced.

"We just want to make sure you're okay," Scott said quietly. "_I_ just want to make sure you're okay."

Jean laughed. "You really still think you need to protect me."

Her words troubled Scott, and he frowned. "We're always supposed to look out for each other, Jean. I love you."

"I love you too, Scott," Jean said, her voice suddenly smaller. "And _that's_ what scares me."

"What do you mean?"

Jean suddenly grew very serious. "I'm not afraid of dying, Scott. Not anymore."

"Don't talk like that!" Scott protested. "You—"

"I _was_ dead, Scott." She shook her head. "I'm not sure how, I'm not sure why… but…" her eyes grew distant. "The Phoenix…"

"Jean—"

"I'm not afraid of dying, Scott. I'm afraid of burning the world. I'm afraid of destroying everything and everyone I ever loved."

"Do you really think it's that powerful? This… Phoenix?"

Her haunted look was answer enough. "I just want everything to be back to normal," she reiterated.

"Yeah," Scott agreed, now very troubled. "Me too."

Before they could discuss the matter any further, both of their comlinks beeped. Cyclops was a split second quicker answering his, so Jean just listened in. "Go ahead."

It was Professor Xavier. "Scott. Logan, Storm, and the others just got back from New York. I need you both at the hanger."

Scott glanced at Jean in askance, but all trace of disquietude had left her features. "We're on our way," he assured Xavier.

xxxx

Jean and Scott were shocked by the scene that awaited them in the hanger. Rogue was being examined by Beast on a stretcher. Bobby stood nervously as close as they would allow him to be.

"What happened?" Jean asked, as she moved to assist Beast and Scott walked over to join the Professor, Storm, and Wolverine.

"She's unconscious. But there doesn't appear to be anything physically wrong with her," Beast answered, sounding baffled. He looked to the others for clarification.

"She accidentally absorbed someone's power," Bobby explained.

"Well, that's nothing—" Beast started.

"_All_ of it," Bobby clarified.

Beast took a sharp breath. "Oh."

"So… what's going to happen to her?" Bobby asked nervously.

Beast looked to Jean, who shook her head. "We don't know," she admitted. "This has never happened before. I mean, in theory…"

"Let's not deal with theory," Professor Xavier suggested helpfully. "Hank, Jean, take her to the infirmary and see what you can do?"

Jean nodded, and she and Beast started wheeling Rogue away. Bobby followed them, and no one had the heart to suggest he do otherwise.

"The rest of us will convene to the briefing room," Xavier continued. "I fear we have much to discuss."

"You don't know the half of it," Logan assured him, watching with obvious concern as Rogue was wheeled away.

xxxx

Peter hadn't made it back to the basketball court as he had promised his teammates earlier. As late afternoon wore on to evening, the darkening sky found him still conversing with his new friend Jean-Paul.

"So, what's your gift?" Jean-Paul asked him as they walked across the grounds. He gave him an admiring sidelong glance and hastily added, "Besides muscles, of course."

Peter actually felt his cheeks warm slightly, but he quickly switched into metal form to hide it – conveniently also answering Jean-Paul's question. "They call me Colossus," Peter explained.

"Nice!" Jean-Paul exclaimed.

"How about you?" Peter asked, reverting to his non-metal form as soon as he was fairly certain no trace of the incriminating blush remained.

Instead of answering, Jean-Paul hopped into the air, casually floating just a few feet off the ground. Before Peter could even comment on how much he would enjoy the ability to fly, Jean-Paul closed his eyes and was suddenly glowing with brilliant white light.

Peter gaped at him in open admiration, as Jean-Paul calmly echoed Peter's earlier declaration, "They call me Northstar."

"Wow," Peter breathed as Jean-Paul gently landed in front of him.

"I'm also super fast – no jokes, please, I've heard them all."

Peter smiled, and this time it was Jean-Paul who smiled reflexively in return. Without really thinking about it, Peter and Jean-Paul moved closer together. Their lips had almost touched when a loud beeping sound suddenly interrupted the stillness of the night.

Peter blinked in surprise at what he and Jean-Paul had been about to do, but realized he had to answer his comlink. He tried to keep any trace of confusion out of his voice as he said, "This is Colossus, go ahead."

"Peter," Cyclops's voice answered, "we need everyone in the briefing room. Right now."

His voice certainly sounded urgent, but Peter couldn't help but ask, "What is it?"

"We think we know where Magneto is."


	4. We Are the Future

_**We Are the Future**_

Warren looked vaguely uncomfortable, which amused Emma more than a little. The boy could fly under his own power, and he was uncomfortable in the cockpit of a helicopter. Perhaps he felt cramped?

Miles of empty ocean stretched beneath them. The helicopter – no doubt a generous contribution of Worthington's own company – had a cockpit constructed entirely out of transparent material. No doubt its primary purpose had originally been sightseeing, a wasted extravagance thus far.

Finally, the previously endless expanse of water was interrupted by a speck of green. As they got closer, Emma finally saw the purpose behind the sightseeing helicopter.

"Oh." The exclamation, though toneless and controlled, was unusual enough from her to betray her astonishment.

"The island of Genosha," Magneto narrated with evident pride. "A U.S. territory by mere formality, owned by the Worthington Corporation. By combining his resources with yours, my dear, we shall forge a sovereign mutant nation." He smiled wistfully. "I was thinking of calling it Avalon."

xxxx

Magneto's castle – "headquarters" was probably the correct term, but "castle" seemed much more appropriate – was as impressive as the rest of the island. In the grand hall, a vast chamber full of columns, two obviously irate young man faced each other. Fire blazed in their eyes, quite literally in one case.

"I am so sick of you!" Quicksilver was yelling in evident exasperation.

"Where the hell do you get off?" Pyro shot back. "Just because Magneto's your father doesn't mean anything! I've been fighting with him longer than you have! Where the hell were you?"

The sound of scornful laughter drew both of their attentions to the entrance. Magneto was entering, flanked by Emma Frost and Warren Worthington. But the laughter had not come from any of those three impressive-looking figures.

Instead, it had come from Alex Summers, who stood in Emma's shadow – literally and figuratively. "_This_ is supposed to impress us, Magneto?" Alex practically spat. "Your subordinates ready to tear each other's heads off?"

Pietro's lips curled back in a sneer. "Right. Because we care what a _lapdog_ thinks."

And suddenly all three young men were crouching in combat postures, ready to tear each other's heads off. Havok's hands glowed with energy, Pyro's with flames, and Quicksilver's muscles were tense, ready to spring into blinding speeds at the first move from either of the others.

Emma stepped forward and lightly placed her hand on Alex's chest. Magneto calmly added, "Please, children. Not in front of the guests."

All three men glared at each other, but reluctantly powered down and stood in normal postures.

"Did you at least complete your errand?" Magneto inquired mildly.

"We ran into some trouble," Pietro answered with a shrug. "X-Men and S.H.I.E.L.D. But we handled it. I think we even took one of them out."

"_I_ took her out," John corrected.

Pietro glared at him, and it briefly looked like another confrontation was about to start.

"_Enough_," Magneto interrupted sharply. "Did you complete the objective? Did you release him?"

"Yes," Pietro assured him. "Xavier should have his hands full."

"Excellent! Now then," Magneto continued, waving Emma and Warren after him into the next room, "if you three can behave yourselves for five minutes, the grownups need to talk."


	5. At Least I've Chosen a Side

_**At Least I've Chosen a Side**_

Jean and Beast were very nervous as they examined the results of the battery of tests they had run on Rogue. It didn't take them long to come to a conclusion.

"Her vitals are within reasonable limits," Beast opined. "She's obviously under physical and emotional stress, but…"

"There's nothing to stop her from waking up," Jean agreed. "It could happen any moment."

"She's going to be okay?" Bobby asked anxiously from Rogue's bedside.

Beast and Jean exchanged glances. They had barely been able to get the boy to leave her side in order to run the necessary medical tests. The idea of asking him to leave so they could work seemed vaguely silly, and certainly on the wrong side of "impossible."

"There's only one more test we need to run," Beast pointed out.

Jean frowned. "I'd rather wait for the Professor."

"She could wake up any minute, Jean," Beast pressed.

"What is it?" Bobby asked anxiously. "What do you still have to do?"

Jean sighed, reluctant, but nodded to Beast who began hooking monitors up to both Jean and Rogue's foreheads.

"What is this?" Bobby repeated.

"Bobby," Jean explained gently. "We need you to leave the room. Any distraction could be…"

"What are you going to do?"

"You need to trust us."

Bobby sighed, but after squeezing Rogue's gloved hand once more, he nodded and left the room.

Beast nodded to indicate that he was ready to monitor both of their brainwaves. Jean took a deep breath, closed her eyes, and reached out with her psychic powers.

xxxx

The tension in the briefing room was palpable as Jean entered. "She's stable," she announced, walking over to take her customary seat next to Scott. "She should be awake soon. Henry's monitoring her, and I told Bobby he could stay there."

It felt like a sigh of relief had passed through the room. Only Professor Xavier still looked at Jean expectantly.

"She did suffer a lot of psychic trauma from the experience," Jean said in answer to Xavier's unspoken question. "But her mind is strong. It'll just take some time to recover."

Xavier nodded gravely. "The powers?"

Jean shifted uncomfortably. "I think those might be permanent," she admitted.

"So she's Super Woman," Logan pointed out. "What's the problem?"

"Knowing Rogue," Xavier answered, his eyes suddenly taking on a distant look, "the constant reminder of the powers will make her guilt even more difficult to overcome."

Most of the positive energy that had accompanied Jean's good news about Rogue's physical condition faded, and once again everyone looked vaguely uncomfortable.

"Unfortunately, there are larger concerns right now," Xavier resumed. "Logan, will you please repeat the pertinent details for Jean?"

"Fury told us about a connection between Magneto and some company called Worthington Industries," Wolverine explained.

"Worthington? Working with Magneto?" Jean asked in surprise. Her expression suddenly darkened. "Emma Frost. He was a student at her school. I'm sure she's behind this."

"Perhaps," Xavier allowed. "But that's not our main concern right now."

"Worthington bought himself an island," Wolverine informed her.

"It seems likely Erik would use it as a base of operations," Xavier added.

Jean didn't need her psychic powers to know what everyone was thinking. They had been waiting for a lead on Magneto's location for months. There was no way they could afford not to follow up on this, even if they weren't at full strength.

"We were just discussing who to send on the mission," Cyclops added, as though in answer to her unspoken thoughts.

"I'll go," Jean volunteered without a second thought.

Xavier frowned. "I had thought you might stay behind to watch over Rogue."

Jean shook her head. "No. Hank can handle the medical side of things as well as me, and you're twice the psychic I am."

Xavier's answering smile was forced. "I grow less certain of that every day, Jean."

The unspoken reference to the Phoenix only increased Jean's desire to prove everything was back to normal. She turned to Cyclops. "You need me on this one."

"It's your team, Scott," Xavier deferred.

Cyclops sighed, but nodded reluctantly. "Alright. Jean, you're with us. Wolverine—"

"No way I'm sitting this one out," Wolverine informed him before he could even suggest it.

"You have a _metal skeleton_, Logan," Jean pointed out.

Wolverine almost snarled.

"He comes with us," Cyclops agreed reluctantly. "This could be a heavy combat mission, and we'll need all the experienced fighters we can get. Jean, Wolverine, Storm." They were all the veteran members of the X-Men. They were the Liberty Island team. The combination felt right.

"What about me?" Peter asked anxiously.

"No," Cyclops answered apologetically. "Magneto's just too dangerous, Peter."

Peter's hands briefly clenched into fists, but his voice was reasonably calm when he asked, "When am I actually going to be an X-Man?"

"Magneto is our most deadly enemy," Xavier defended Scott's decision. "You've yet to be on a combat mission. This is _not_ the one to start with."

"Bobby and Rogue might need you," Cyclops added, trying to give Peter something to focus on.

Peter nodded. He was clearly unhappy with the decision, but did not complain further.

"This might be the most important, and the most dangerous, mission any of you have ever been on," Xavier addressed the other four. "This will not be like Liberty Island. Magneto isn't trying to start a war, he believes we already _are_ at war." He smiled sadly, focusing particularly on Scott and Jean. "I know I don't have to tell you to be careful."

The four X-Men exchanged glances, then nodded reassuringly at Xavier.

"Good luck," Xavier concluded. "And come back safely, my X-Men."


	6. The First Boy I Ever Kissed

_**The First Boy I Ever Kissed**_

As Cyclops had suggested, Peter tried to spend some time in the infirmary to see how his friends were doing. However, Rogue was still asleep, and Bobby was single-mindedly waiting for her to wake up. Peter would have spent some time trying to cheer him up or distract him, but it was obvious Bobby wanted no part of that.

Still, Cyclops's idea was sound in principle, so Peter decided to find one of his other friends. It didn't take long to find Kitty Pryde: Colossus simply walked about the grounds until he found someone with their face buried in a computer and, sure enough, it was the small, black-haired teenager.

Peter dropped into the seat across from her and looked at her from over the top of her laptop monitor. "Katya," he greeted her by the nickname only he used.

"Hmmm?" Kitty answered, barely glancing up from the screen.

"Hi," Peter greeted with a hint of amusement at the girl's distraction.

"Hi," Kitty answered, finally seeming to focus on him. "Sorry, I was just…" she gestured vaguely.

"I don't need to know which national defense network you're hacking," Peter assured her playfully. "In fact, it would probably be better if I _didn't_ know."

Kitty smirked. "While I certainly _could_ do what you're suggesting… it would be very irresponsible if I didn't have a good reason… or I guess if I were _very_ bored," she mused.

"Focus, Katya," Peter mock-chided.

"What do you need, Peter?" Kitty asked, closing her laptop.

"Believe it or not, I needed cheering up," Peter admitted ruefully. "I think we've about covered that, though."

"Or maybe just ignored it," Kitty noted astutely. "Why did you need cheering up?"

Peter shrugged. "It's nothing, really…"

"Peter…" Kitty warned.

"It's stupid," Pete insisted.

"Yeah, you're right," Kitty mock-agreed. "Since we're barely through adolescence and we're being asked – _you're_ being asked, at least – to save the world on a daily basis, we really ought to ignore things that are obviously bothering us." She crossed her arms. "_You_ came to find _me_," she reminded him. "Obviously there's something on your mind."

"They're leaving me behind again," Peter admitted.

"Is that all?" Kitty asked, looking almost annoyed.

"I know I probably shouldn't be complaining to you about this," Peter agreed. "I mean, you definitely deserve to be on the team by now–"

Kitty rolled her eyes. "Oh shut up."

"I mean it!"

"Of course you do, Mr. Nice Guy," Kitty allowed. "But that doesn't make it true."

Peter sighed. "I just… I wonder if I'm _ever_ actually going to feel like a member of the team."

Kitty patted his hand reassuringly. "Just give it some time."

"I _do_ hope I'm not interrupting anything…" Jean-Paul greeted, leaning on the doorway. "But if I could borrow Peter for a minute…" he gestured towards the hallway.

Peter grinned and jumped out of his chair to follow him. "Katya, I'll see you later," he called over his shoulder as he left the room.

xxxx

Xavier's Mansion was fairly secluded. The surrounding woodlands were full of wildlife, so nights were generally not quiet.

The sounds tonight were considerably more agitated, as many creatures fled or merely observed the dark shape that moved through the woods. The ground actually shook as the threatening-looking figure made steady progress towards the better-lit school grounds.

xxxx

"I wanted to apologize," Jean-Paul began as he and Peter sat alone in the empty library. It was a weekend, and it was late, so it had seemed as likely a place as any for them to find privacy at this hour.

"For what?" Peter asked in obvious confusion, his cheerfulness turning to seriousness.

"Earlier, I think I misread you… I thought you were interested in me – stupid, I know – and I… well… based on your reaction, that obviously wasn't the case." Jean-Paul looked vaguely pained. "But that's okay!" he hastened to add. "I still want to be friends with you… if that doesn't make you uncomfortable."

Peter shook his head. "You didn't misread me. You're misreading me now."

Jean-Paul's crestfallen expression suddenly vanished. "Really?"

"Really," Peter assured him. "I just…" he looked down in embarrassment. "I'd never…"

"_You've never kissed a boy before?_" Jean-Paul was astonished as he finally grasped Peter's meaning.

Peter didn't answer with words, but his downward gaze and shy flush were answer enough.

"Well. We'll have to fix that, won't we?"

They were grinning stupidly, and once again they both eagerly leaned towards each other…

This time it wasn't Peter's personal comlink that interrupted, but rather the Mansion's alarm system. The dull klaxon was audible throughout the entire mansion and its grounds, and an eerie red light pulsed repeatedly in unison with the sound.

"What's that?" Jean-Paul asked.

"Proximity alarm," Peter answered with a discouraged sigh.

The alarm should have been Peter's immediate concern, but it was not the primary source of his discomfort. Peter had never been this close to kissing a boy in his life before meeting Jean-Paul, and now it had happened _twice_.

The idea of kissing someone had always felt hopelessly awkward to Peter… when it happened with Jean-Paul, he had been so focused on the moment he hadn't even been able to notice the awkwardness. Now, that golden opportunity was quickly slipping away. Who knew if they would be able to recapture that feeling? Maybe things would go back to exactly the way they had always been for Peter. All work and no play.

"Not this time," Peter muttered, almost to himself. Without further warning, he grabbed Jean-Paul and kissed him on the lips with conviction.

Peter didn't realize he had closed his eyes until he opened them. The kiss wasn't a gentle peck, but neither was it a sloppy affair of tongues. That could come later.

Still, it was definitely much more intense than a typical first kiss, and both boys needed to take a deep breath afterwards.

"Wow," Jean-Paul breathed as their lips parted but they barely moved away from each other.

"I _do_ have to go," Peter apologized.

But Jean-Paul didn't mind. "Go," he whispered warmly, "my hero."

Peter blushed again, and was gone.


	7. One for Every Sin

_**One for Every Sin**_

Even though the X-Jet was in full stealth mode, Scott couldn't shake the feeling that it had been entirely too easy to elude Magneto's island's defenses. The combined resources of Worthington Industries and Frost International had given the island state of the art weaponry and detection hardware – some of it legal, much of it not. To not even have triggered those defenses…

It also wasn't difficult to figure out which building was Magneto's command center. The thing looked like a castle more than anything else. Obviously Magneto had not lost his flair for the dramatic. The four X-Men approached cautiously, looking for an unobtrusive entry point.

"There," Wolverine suggested. "The schematics called it a utility entrance."

"Good thinking," Cyclops agreed.

They proceeded into the building, and were again baffled by the lack of challenge.

"Jean?" Scott asked.

"Most of the building is empty," Jean answered, her brow not strained with effort as it had been in the past when her telepathic abilities were considerably less formidable. "There's one room I can't really get a read on… I think I'm being passively blocked by another psychic." The suspicion in her voice almost screamed, _Emma_, but she didn't actually say it aloud. "I can't push farther without them knowing I'm doing it."

"That's okay," Scott assured her. "That has to be where Magneto is." Again, it felt almost too easy. But Scott ignored that nagging detail.

"There are a few people not in the blocked room…" Jean continued. She was suddenly alert. "Scott, I think we need to go to the dungeon before we go to Magneto."

xxxx

Of course, it went without saying that the heavy, archaic-looking barred doors and stone walls of Magneto's "dungeon" were augmented with state of the art technology for containing potentially dangerous enemies. Still, the appearances had their desired effect; the atmosphere was as dreary and depressing as a dungeon right out of the middle ages.

It was not surprising that Magneto would have need of such facilities. Magneto had no interest in killing his fellow mutants. He would if necessity required it, but every mutant fatality hurt his ultimate goal of genetic superiority.

"Which way?" Cyclops asked as he led the way in, quickly scanning in every direction for signs of guards.

"This way," Jean answered, moving confidently forward. The others followed her lead, and stopped in front of one of the cells.

Its lone occupant was a thin, sad-looking young man. His expression brightened slightly with apparent recognition upon seeing them, but the overtone of sadness remained.

Jean gasped in obvious shock, and the man also looked surprised to see her.

"Aren't you dead?" he asked her in an agonizingly familiar voice.

"I'm sorry," Jean said quietly. "I didn't expect you to be…"

"The Lord giveth and the Lord taketh avay," the other man answered with a sad shrug.

Storm gasped. "Oh my God. _Kurt_?"

"Yes, Ororo," he answered fondly, "it is I. But please… do not take the Lord's name in vain. Especially on my account."

Recognition and shock registered on the other X-Men's faces. The resemblance was actually pretty shocking, considering the lack of blue skin and a tail. Kurt had also grown his hair out – whether that was intentional, or a byproduct of his captivity – and it was difficult to see in the dim light what color the previously-blue hair was… but once they knew it was him, it was difficult to understand how they hadn't been able to tell immediately.

"What happened to you?" Storm asked sympathetically.

"Vhen the sentinel shot me… I thought I vas dead," Kurt answered. "Then I vas here. And I vas like this," he added, holding his now "normal"-colored arms in an open gesture.

"We need to get him out of here," Cyclops said, taking charge as usual. "Storm?"

"There aren't any windows nearby," Storm pointed out. "I can't fry the control panel if the lightning can't reach it."

"Well," Cyclops said with a shrug, adjusting the intensity on his visor, "here goes nothing."

"Scott, wait!" Jean warned, placing her hand on Cyclops's arm. "What if there's an alarm? We'll lose the element of surprise."

"Jeannie's right," Wolverine agreed. "It sucks, but we need to come back for him on the way out."

"What if there's not time?" Cyclops pointed out. "I don't want to risk leaving him here."

"I'm of no help to you right now anyvay," Kurt pointed out. "I vould only get in the vay."

Cyclops frowned. "I don't like this."

"You vill be back for me," Kurt answered with a reassuring smile.

"We will," Cyclops hastened to agree. "I swear it."

xxxx

They made their way cautiously towards the source of the interference with Jean's powers. She warned them when they were getting close, and they began moving with true stealth. Wolverine, the most combat-oriented member of the group, led the way, sniffing the air before glancing around each corner.

At one corner, he gestured for everyone to be silent.

"What is it?" Storm whispered.

"There's someone around the corner," he answered almost inaudibly. He sniffed the air again. "Two of them. They both smell familiar… two of Frost's pets, I think."

Jean gave Scott her most insufferable _I told you so_ look.

"Alright," Cyclops ordered, "we take them out as quickly and nonlethally as we can."

"Emphasis on the quickly or the nonlethally?" Wolverine predictably asked.

For once, Cyclops was prepared to give him the answer he wanted. "Quickly."

Wolverine almost grinned as he deployed his claws. "I can do that."


	8. The House Xavier Built

_**The House Xavier Built**_

As Colossus waited impatiently for the elevator to release him into the underground corridors, he suddenly realized with mounting dread that he, Bobby, and Rogue were the only X-Men in the Mansion. And Rogue was still in some kind of strange coma, and there was no telling what emotional state Bobby would be in.

His fear of having to face whatever threat was approaching alone was alleviated when he saw Bobby waiting outside of Cerebro.

"What's going on?" Colossus asked him.

"I don't know," Iceman admitted. "I just got here, too."

"Where's Dr. McCoy?"

"I think he's in there with him."

Colossus nodded, and they waited in awkward silence. Both of them were worried, but Iceman had an additional worry that neither of them could do anything about.

Abruptly, the doors slid open, and Beast wheeled the Professor out. "We have a problem," Xavier informed them with evident concern.

xxxx

A few moments later, they were gathered in the Danger Room's control room, watching on the monitor as a massive, armored man broke through the fence.

Xavier closed his eyes, and the others heard his voice in his head. _Attention all students and staff, this is Headmaster Xavier. Please proceed in a calm and orderly fashion to the underground tunnels. Follow your evacuation plans, and wait for further instructions._

"What's going on?" Colossus asked.

"As you can see, we have an intruder," Beast answered wryly.

"Who is he?" Iceman asked.

"His name is Cain Marko," Xavier answered mechanically. "But he goes by 'Juggernaut.'"

"You sound like you know him," Iceman pointed out.

"Oh yes," Xavier agreed, his voice still very quiet. "He's my stepbrother."  
Colossus blinked in surprise.

"But you've fought him before, right?" Iceman reasoned, still gauging Xavier's reaction. "So whatever you did then, we can do again, right? What's the problem?"

"My stepbrother's… gift… manifests itself in superhuman strength and aggression. He is, in many ways, my polar opposite." His expression was pained. "In the past, my mind has been my defense. He is vulnerable to psionic attacks."

Both boys stared blankly, not seeing the problem.

"Just now, when I was in Cerebro… I was unable to touch his mind."

"The helmet," Beast suggested, nodding at the picture of the monitor.

"It does seem to resemble Erik's," Xavier agreed, a new edge entering his voice. "Perhaps my old friend was so good as to provide it."

"So, it's simple, then," Beast continued, turning to Iceman and Colossus. "We have to get the helmet off so Charles can stop him." No one missed the "we" in his statement. The boys exchanged glances.

"Before he became a boring old scientist, Hank was one of my first and best students," Xavier reassured them. But the faint smile quickly faded from his features. "However, I fear Cain's strength is too much for you three. We may need to consider… alternative measures."

"Surely you do not intend to allow your stepbrother to have what he wants," Beast protested.

"What does he want?" Colossus asked.

"Me," Xavier explained simply.

xxxx

Fences did not stop him. Walls did not stop him. Juggernaut effortlessly tore his way through his stepbrother's house, heedless of the damage he left in his wake.

"Xavier!" he shouted, his voice shaking the mansion on its foundations. "I know you're here! Show yourself, you coward!"

As he approached the elevator, three insignificant figures appeared before him, wearing identical leather uniforms. Two normal-looking boys, and something blue and fury. As he watched, one of the normal-looking ones suddenly turned metal. Cute. As if that would help.

Juggernaut growled. "Where's Xavier?" he demanded.

"Charles is rather busy," the blue one explained with feigned politeness. "Perhaps if you left a message?"

With an enraged snarl, Juggernaut swept his arm at them to backhand them. They rolled out of his way, and quickly sprang into attacks of their own.

The normal-looking one shot some sort of cold spray at him, while the metal one charged and hit him in the stomach with his elbow. Juggernaut laughed at their puny attacks, and effortlessly knocked the metal one to the ground.

_Where did the blue one go?_

Suddenly he felt someone on his back trying to remove his helmet. With a growl of frustration, he threw him off, and saw the blue creature go flying into the wall.

"You're starting to make me mad," Juggernaut warned. "You don't want to do that."


	9. When Will These People Learn to Fly?

_**When Will These People Learn to Fly?**_

As the X-Men rounded the corner, they saw a blue-skinned mutant with wings and Alex Summers waiting with visible energy radiating from his fists.

"Scott! What a pleasant surprise!" Alex greeted with mock cheer as he blasted at the X-Men with energy beams.

Scott fired an optic blast to hold back Alex's plasma blasts, protecting the other X-Men. "Go!" he shouted to the others.

Storm's power was very little help in this situation, so she hung back with Scott while Wolverine ran and Jean flew down the large hallway.

The blue mutant they had previously not recognized left the ground lightly and swooped towards Wolverine and Jean as they approached.

"Warren!" Jean gasped in recognition.

"Warren Worthington is no more. I am Archangel, Herald of the Apocalypse!"

"Who comes up with these names?" Wolverine demanded, and jumped up to try to slice his claws at Archangel.

Archangel deftly dodged Wolverine's attack and flipped forward to kick Wolverine in the chest with a surprising amount of force. Wolverine went flying back and smashed into the wall. Jean dodged a similar attack, and launched a blast of telekinetic energy at Archangel, knocking him off course, but he quickly recovered.

Meanwhile, Scott and Alex were inching closer towards each other, fighting against the force of each other's energy blasts.

"It doesn't have to be like this, Alex!" Scott pleaded.

"When will you learn to give up on this?" Alex demanded scornfully. "I'm not interested in being one of the 'good guys,' thanks."

Back in the air, Jean and Archangel were dodging each other's attacks – a bit disconcerting in Archangel's case as Jean's attacks were psychic in nature.

"What the hell did she do to you, Warren?" Jean demanded.

Archangel laughed scornfully. "You think _Emma Frost_ did this to me? You X-Men have no idea what approaches."

xxxx

There were very few walls left standing in the X-Mansion as Juggernaut continued to rampage through it on his search for his stepbrother. The three X-Men could do little but get a few shots in here and there and quickly retreat. Each swipe of Juggernaut's massive arm scattered them.

"If you tell me where Xavier is, I promise not to play with you when I kill you!" Juggernaut shouted.

Iceman shot a blast of ice at Juggernaut which he easily smashed through, but in the intervening moments Beast landed on Juggernaut's back and tried to dislodge his helmet. He was forced to abandon this effort quickly when Juggernaut growled menacingly and reached back towards him.

As Beast back-flipped off Juggernaut's back, Colossus stepped forward and threw a powerful punch at Juggernaut. The blow had sufficient force to shatter concrete or metal, but didn't even phase Juggernaut, who almost lazily knocked Colossus aside with a swipe of his elbow, sending the metal-covered boy flying through a wall.

Juggernaut started to step in the direction Colossus had flown, probably intended to finish him, but Iceman stepped into his path and shot a blast of ice at him.

"Bad move, boy," Juggernaut scolded, and moved towards Iceman menacingly.

"Why don't you pick on someone your own size?" a feminine voice asked casually from the doorway on the other side of the room.

Everyone whirled around to see Rogue floating in midair facing Juggernaut, her expression burning with anger and determination.

"Rogue!" Iceman shouted in concern.

Juggernaut laughed scornfully. "_You're_ is supposed to be someone my own size?"

"Why don't you come over here and find out, sugar?" Rogue invited.

xxxx

The battle was not going well for the X-Men. And just when things couldn't get any worse, the doors slid open and Emma Frost emerged. "Enough," she stated coolly.

"You really think we're going to stop fighting on account of a second-rate psychic?" Jean's voice dripped with contempt.

Emma smiled thinly. "Charmed, as always."

Regardless of Jean's sarcasm, Emma's appearance brought the battle to a temporary standstill. If anything, however, Havok and Archangel looked more confused than the X-Men.

"Where's Magneto, Emma?" Cyclops demanded.

"So sorry, darling. I'm afraid the princess is in another castle."

Jean gasped. "Scott, she's telling the truth. She just dropped her psychic shield, and there's no one else in this base. There's no one else here."

"It's all right," Emma assured them. "I know where he's going."

"Miss Frost?" Havok asked uncertainly. "What are you doing?"

"I'm sorry, Alex. I don't especially have anything against wiping out all humanity… my heart just isn't in it." She glanced at Archangel. "And I'm pretty sure Magneto's working for someone else, which scares the hell out of me."

Archangel clearly understood the way in which the tide had turned. "None shall escape the judgment of Apocalypse," he announced coolly, and without opposition took flight.

"We're just going to let him go?" Wolverine demanded.

"You have bigger problems right now. Believe me," Emma stated.

Havok looked uneasily from the X-Men to Emma. "I'm not going to try to stop you, but that doesn't mean I like this."

"Your words say no, but your cowardice says yes," Emma answered scornfully. "Thank you ever so much, darling." She turned back to Cyclops. "Follow me, if you want to stop Magneto."

Cyclops nodded to the others, and the four X-Men followed Emma into Magneto's command center. At the center of the room was a rather large table, covered with blueprints, maps, and other documents.

"Washington, DC?" Storm identified, holding up one of the maps for the others to see.

Jean dropped one of the blueprints back onto the table and stepped backwards. As she turned to the others, she wore a horrified expression. "Oh God," her voice was barely a whisper. "The Arc Reactor."

xxxx

Iceman watched in horror as Juggernaut charged towards Rogue. "No!" he shouted, to no avail.

Juggernaut swung a massive punch at Rogue, and time seemed to freeze at the moment of impact.

No. Time had not stopped, Iceman realized as he took a deep breath.

Everyone stared in shock at the scene before them. Rogue had blocked Juggernaut's punch, and now held his fist easily in her hands. Juggernaut was staring at her with evident shock, and with a great deal of effort managed to pull his fist away from her grip.

"Impossible," he rumbled. "Nothing stops the Juggernaut."

Juggernaut threw another punch at Rogue, which she again easily blocked, this time by throwing a punch of her own to knock his off course. Juggernaut actually staggered slightly away from the blow.

Rogue, still floating slightly off the ground to match Juggernaut's height, grinned. "Give up yet, sugar?"

Juggernaut growled in frustration. "You can't beat me, _little girl_."

The massive armored figure charged at Rogue one more time, shouting a wordless battle cry of rage and naked aggression.

This time, Rogue deftly flew above Juggernaut's attack, flipped around in midair, and grabbed the back of his helmet as he ran by.

There was a wrenching sound of metal being torn from metal, and the sound of flesh and bone solidly impacting metal.

The blur of motion was too quick to follow, but at the end Juggernaut was lying on the ground with his now helmetless head in his hands, and Rogue floated above him with his helmet in her hands.

"Now, Charles!" Beast shouted.

He needn't have said anything. Professor X, who had been psychically monitoring the contest, emerged from the elevator to the lower levels with his brow knitted in concentration.

"Xavier!" Juggernaut shouted.

"I'm sorry, Cain," Professor X said somberly, his eyes closed as he exerted his psychic power against his stepbrother.

Juggernaut's brow was already beginning to sweat. "I'll destroy you!"

"Not today," Xavier answered calmly.

Juggernaut struggled for a few moments, but quickly lapsed into a catatonic state.

Xavier sighed heavily. "Hank," he ordered calmly, "contact General Fury. Tell him we have something he lost." He then turned to the younger X-Men and smiled at them gratefully, especially Rogue. "I'm very proud of all of you."

Before anyone could say anything further, Xavier's expression suddenly contorted in concentration. "Jean?" he spoke aloud. There was a pause, then his eyes opened wide in horror. "No!"


	10. I'll Take My Chances

_**I'll Take My Chances**_

Magneto seemed to savor the horrified expressions of the guards as he used his powers to fling their precious guns far out of reach. Before they could recover from their panic, Pyro blasted one of them with a deadly fireball and Quicksilver blurred forward to knock the other off his feet with a roundhouse punch.

"Guns," Magneto scoffed. "How primitive." With a casual wave of his hand, he wrenched the armored fence between them and the power plant aside.

On the other side, a slightly larger group of heavily armed guards awaited the three mutants. This time Magneto merely used his magnetic powers to keep their bullets at bay while Pyro and Quicksilver again dispatched the guards with ease.

Nothing stood between them and the Arc Reactor facility, which Magneto observed with satisfaction.

xxxx

It had taken some convincing for General Fury to allow the three youngest X-Men to accompany Professor X and Beast on the S.H.I.E.L.D. air transport, which was currently traveling with all due haste towards Washington, DC.

Despite her earlier confidence in the face of danger, Rogue still had not spoken since the battle with Juggernaut. Bobby glanced anxiously at her from time to time, his expression holding the promise of a lengthy discussion in the near future. Peter was also uncommunicative, but uncertainty did not cloud his features.

On the command deck, General Fury was speaking into his headset rapidly. "I want every available combat and special forces division at the Washington Arc Reactor. Begin a tactical withdrawal of all – and I mean _all_ – civilian resources in the area." He turned back towards the X-Men. "You're _sure_ about this? Because I just left one of the most dangerous mutants _in the world_ at large, and now I'm sticking my neck _way_ out that you have actionable intelligence."

"We're all too certain," Professor X answered gravely. "The plans discovered at Magneto's base were very explicit."

"Arc Reactor technology is _designed_ to produce massive amounts of energy," McCoy added. "When that energy is intentionally directed into an explosion…"

"I thought an Arc Reactor exploded at Stark Labs fairly recently," Bobby pointed out. "It didn't even destroy the entire facility. What's the big deal about this one in Washington?"

"That reactor was a very small model powering a single factory," McCoy explained. "Stark Industries marketed the Washington model as capable of providing power for most of the eastern seaboard… the effects of this reactor's explosion would be unimaginably catastrophic."

Silence descended once more as the aircraft continued its desperate flight south.

xxxx

"Your dad's really _sure_ we're going to be able to make it out in time?" Pyro asked, not for the first time, after blasting the last few guards and technicians standing in the control room.

Quicksilver gave him an _oh please_ look. "Perhaps you're forgetting just how fast I am."

"I said _we_," Pyro muttered.

Alarms started blaring before they could exchange more verbal jabs.

"He didn't start the overload already, did he?" Pyro demanded as Quicksilver streaked over to the control panel.

"Of course not," Quicksilver answered disdainfully. His fingers were lightning fast as they worked over the keyboard. "That's a proximity alarm."

The main monitor switched to a security feed that showed a S.H.I.E.L.D. transport approaching.

Quicksilver rolled his eyes and activated his headset. "Dad: the control room is clear and we're on our way out, but we've got company."

"We're done here. Fury's men won't be able to stop the overload."

"No," Pyro spoke up as the monitor showed several X-Men accompanying the S.H.I.E.L.D. agents out of the transport, "but they might."

xxxx

For the four X-Men – accompanied by Emma Frost – the second reunion with Kurt was as hurried as the first, though Storm and Jean both took a moment to hug the disheveled young man.

During the walk back to the X-Jet, Jean surprised everyone by walking next to her heated rival. "So, Emma," she tried to sound conversational, not entirely overcoming the obvious edge in her voice. "Since you seemed to know so much about this 'Phoenix' – what with the kidnapping and all – would you mind making yourself useful and enlightening the rest of us?"

Emma glanced at Scott, who was staring stoically ahead at the forest apparently looking for the landing site.

"I would presume you know at least as much about it as I do," Emma answered, sounding genuinely confused.

Jean smiled thinly. "Come now, Emma. You can't really expect me to believe you're willing to believe _anyone_ knows more than you about _anything_."

Emma forced a smile in return. "About supernatural beings inhabiting their own bodies? I'm usually willing to defer on that one."

"Let's try to keep on task here, people," Scott suggested anxiously.

"The X-Jet is one hundred meters southwest of our current position," Jean announced casually, deflecting his attempt to redirect their attention. "I'm just very curious," she continued, "because you seemed to know an awful lot about it. What were those modifications you made to Cerebro?"

"When I found you at Alkali Lake, the Phoenix Force was very malleable. It sensed an equally powerful psychic nearby—" Jean snorted audibly, but Emma chose to ignore that, "and part of it entered me to explore."

"And you didn't let go," Jean added.

"Would you willingly let go of a force that powerful?" Emma asked flippantly.

"Yes," Jean answered, a haunted look in her eyes.

Emma gave her a skeptical look, but continued, "The modifications I made to Cerebro were to contain the force. It would then be an easy force to channel the power into me. Without the consciousness."

"You were going were going to kill it!" Jean gasped. "You were going to kill the most powerful being in the universe!"

Emma gave her another condescending look. "If I left the consciousness intact, it would have easily dominated mine." Now she looked somewhat confused. "In fact… how is it that you're still walking among us?"

"I was hoping you would have some insight into that," Jean admitted. "Before I use the power again."

Scott, who had been staying out of the conversation, suddenly whirled around to face them. "_What_?" he demanded.

"Scott, the Professor and the others aren't going to be able to stop the explosion," Jean answered reasonably. "If they're lucky, they might be able to fight off Magneto – that's a _very_ big if – but that won't leave them with nearly enough time to stop the reaction. They're just not going to make it."

"All the more reason to get to the X-Jet and—"

"And what?" Jean demanded. "Fly halfway around the world in five minutes? I sure hope Logan's driving."

Logan grunted appreciatively at that comment, but looked just as skeptical as Scott.

"Jean…" Scott implored, stepping closer to her.

"I'm sorry, Scott," Jean answered firmly, already beginning to glow with flame-like energy. "I'm just going to have to take the risk."

"Jean, wait!" Scott pled.

But there was a flash of light she was gone, visible as a streak of energy in the sky for only a few seconds because of the blinding speed at which she was traveling.


	11. Periods of Heightened Emotional Stress

Author's Note: Jean's part in this chapter was heavily influenced by Ultimate X-Men Volume 6: "Return of the King."

_**Periods of Heightened Emotional Stress**_

Fury's trained soldiers were the first ones out of the transport, followed by Beast and the three younger X-Men.

"Do you think there's any chance we can stop it in time?" Iceman asked with obvious trepidation.

"We won't know until we're there," Beast answered. "I need you to focus on getting me to that control room."

"So if we're too late…" Iceman let the sentence trail off, not wanting to add, _we're dead_.

"Big Boy and me might be able to survive the explosion," Rogue pointed out, referring to herself and Colossus. "Maybe we should go, and the professor can—"

"We have absolutely no idea what the specifics of your new abilities are, Rogue. And though Peter's power makes him nearly indestructible, there's no guarantee that he would maintain sufficient concentration during the explosion to remain in his metal form."

"I'm willing to try it," Peter offered.

"_I'm_ not," Beast countered. "And we stand more of a chance of making it in time to stop the explosion if we go together. Whether any of us can survive the explosion is irrelevant if we _stop_ the explosion. Logic dictates that we follow the Professor's plan."

Rogue and Iceman exchanged a meaningful look. Iceman nodded at Beast determinedly, and Rogue looked away so her reluctance wouldn't be as obvious.

"Let's go, people," Beast ordered.

xxxx

Colossus led the way through the wreckage of the plant, flanked by Rogue and Iceman, with Beast trailing behind. There were signs of destruction throughout the structure.

"This isn't good," Rogue pointed out. "What are the odds that they trashed the whole place _except_ for the control room?"

"We won't know until we get there," Iceman answered coolly.

"This is _stupid_," Rogue persisted. "There's no reason you need to die—"

"Mr. Drake is here voluntarily," Beast reminded Rogue. "This isn't the military. No one's ordering anyone to be here."

Rogue bit her lip to avoid further comment, but there was still simmering anger in her eyes.

"She wasn't calling _you_ stupid, Beast," Iceman assured him, meeting his girlfriend's angry look. "Rogue—"

"How touching!"

Colossus barely had time to activate his metal form before a fiery blast knocked him backwards into Beast. Meanwhile, Rogue flew towards Iceman and carried him away from the blast with blinding speed.

"What are you _doing_?" Bobby, already in his ice form, demanded.

"You're welcome!" Rogue shot back.

"I can handle myself! Let me down!"

Rogue angrily did just that, letting go of him in midair. Thanks to their combat training, Iceman managed to land on all fours, just in time to see Pyro firing again.

Without getting up, Iceman managed to fire a blast of ice to intercept Pyro's flame, and the resulting collision of energy made both of them duck.

Meanwhile, Colossus and Beast began to move towards Pyro, only to discover that he was not alone. Quicksilver seemed to appear out of nowhere, the wind that accompanied his entrance causing small debris to scatter in his wake.

"Can't you see that John's busy playing with his old friends?" Quicksilver teased.

"This isn't a game," Colossus answered angrily. "Millions of people are about to die."

"Yes," Quicksilver agreed flippantly. "That _is_ the game! I think we're winning!"

Colossus stepped forward to take a swing at the arrogant brat, but before he could connect Quicksilver was a blur of motion again, this time circling around Beast and Colossus.

"What's he doing?" Colossus demanded, trying to swipe at the impossibly fast boy and missing each time.

"His incredible speed is generating a vortex effect," Beast answered calmly. "I suggest we attempt to break free before—"

He never got a chance to finish the sentence, as the wind Quicksilver was generating knocked both men off their feet.

The cyclone began to intensify as Quicksilver tightened his circles around the two X-Men, but that proved to be his undoing as Colossus managed to stick his leg in Quicksilver's path, tripping him. Despite the pain of the impact, Colossus managed to capitalize by quickly connecting with an uppercut to Quicksilver's jaw, knocking the boy down.

"Nicely done," Beast complimented.

On the other side of the room, Pyro began sauntering towards Iceman, and Iceman warily approached in a combat stance.

"We just keep running into each other, don't we, Bobby?" Pyro punctuated the question by firing another burst that Iceman easily blocked with another ice blast.

"We'll have to do something about that," Iceman answered, uncharacteristically threatening.

"Temper," Pyro chided lightly.

Rogue picked that moment to swoop down at Pyro from the air, leveling a roundhouse kick at his right side. Pyro barely managed to dodge, only to find Iceman already in his face throwing a quick hook that connected with his jaw.

Pyro stumbled backwards weakly, and was finished by a single kick from Rogue that sent him tumbling into a nearby wall, which collapsed from the force of the impact.

Iceman quickly ran over to the pile of rubble, and was relieved to find Pyro still breathing but unconscious. He whirled quickly to face Rogue, losing his ice form due to his sudden emotion.

"Did you have to hit him that hard?" he demanded.

Rogue looked horrified. "I…"

"You could've killed him!" Iceman persisted.

"I'm sorry!"

Iceman's heart sunk at the look of vulnerability and pain on Rogue's face.

"I _do_ hope I'm not interrupting, but we might have very little time to make it to the control room," Beast reminded.

A half-formed apology died on Iceman's lips when Rogue broke eye contact and abruptly turned away from him.

"Right," Iceman answered reluctantly, and he and Rogue fell into step with Beast and Colossus.

xxxx

The sight at the control room was beyond disheartening. The room looked as though it had survived a five-alarm fire. Display screens, consoles, and switchboards were melted beyond recognition.

Rogue angrily kicked a piece of useless twisted metal across the room.

"John," Iceman stated flatly.

Through the heavily shielded windows, they could see the reactor glowing increasingly bright as it neared critical mass.

"It would appear I have no choice but to attempt to disable the reactor manually," Beast observed. His voice did not seem to suggest any real expectation of success. He turned to the younger X-Men. "I thank you all for getting me this far. Your bravery was beyond compare."

"You don't actually expect us to believe you can stop that thing _manually_, do you?" Rogue demanded.

"It seems quite unlikely," Beast admitted. "But perhaps I can delay the explosion long enough for you, the Professor, and General Fury's men to escape." At their skeptical looks, he added, "I cannot simply do nothing."

"_My X-Men_!"

All four X-Men gasped. The telepathic message in itself was not unusual. In fact, it was exactly the way Professor Xavier usually opened their telepathic conversations.

His voice generally didn't so strongly resemble Professor Grey's, however.

"Jean?!" Beast exclaimed in disbelief.

"_You haven't much time! Get out of there! Now!_"

"What does it matter?" Rogue demanded. "When this thing blows, we're dead anyway!"

The roof of the facility was suddenly torn away, revealing a female form hovering in the air, wreathed in fire.

"I'd do as the lady says," Beast suggested mildly.

xxxx

As the X-Men fled through the corridors, they began to perceive the ground trembling slightly beneath them. By the time they made it to the courtyard, it was shaking with the force of a major earthquake.

"Professor McCoy?" Colossus's voice betrayed uncharacteristic uncertainty.

"Just keep running!" Beast encouraged.

As they neared the landing site, a discernable line appeared in the ground before them. Without warning, they were wrenched off their feet as the ground before them appeared to drop. As they looked over the edge of the newly formed cliff, they realized that in actuality the ground they were on was _rising_.

"_Right_," Iceman exclaimed in obvious shock.

"Jump," Beast urged them.

"After you," Iceman answered sarcastically.

Rogue rolled her eyes, grabbed her nervous boyfriend by the shoulders, and flew him to the ground.

"You really need to stop doing that," Iceman informed her, adjusting his uniform.

"You're welcome," Rogue answered bitterly.

Beast landed acrobatically next to them, and with an audible crash the metal-formed Colossus joined them.

When they reached the S.H.I.E.L.D. transports, they found General Fury and Professor Xavier staring past them in shock. Upon turning around to see what the two men were looking at, they saw a truly astonishing sight.

The Arc Reactor facility – along with the several meters of ground beneath it – was floating in midair. Above it, with her face strained in concentration and her arms outstretched, was Jean, glowing with Phoenix energy.

"She can _do_ that?" Iceman demanded in utter disbelief.

"So it would seem," Xavier noted, concern obvious in his voice.

"Is she going to be able to get it far enough away to—?"

Before General Fury could finish his question, everyone was blinded by a sudden flash of light. As their vision slowly cleared, the bright light did not dissipate, but seemed contained in a roughly spherical shape in the sky.

No one really knew how to react as they all simultaneously realized what was happening. Jean was somehow _containing_the massive explosion in a comparatively small bubble that encompassed the facility and the land she had telekinetically lifted into the sky. The sheer power she was demonstrating was beyond terrifying.

When the light finally faded, Jean lowered her arms and rubble began raining from the sky. After a few seconds, the exhausted Jean herself fell towards the ground.

xxxx

All of the X-Men – minus Henry McCoy and Jean Grey – were assembled in the briefing room. Ordinarily they would have gathered in the Professor's office, but that was one of the many rooms to not survive Juggernaut's assault.

The mood of the group was quite subdued. They were all still absorbing the results of their two separate, but equally dramatic, missions.

"We should be dead right now," Rogue pointed out. "If it weren't for Jean's new powers…"

"I fear that is precisely the kind of temptation she will have to resist," Xavier responded weightily. "I don't know what effect the repeated use of the powers of the Phoenix will have on Jean – physically and mentally. But what little we know about the entity thus far suggests extreme caution is needed."

"Emma seemed to have a reasonable amount of knowledge about it," Scott pointed out reluctantly.

The faintest hint of a smile emerged as Xavier answered, "Perhaps you could speak with her about the subject, Scott."

Scott's expression suggested that Xavier had asked him to jump into a swimming pool filled with hungry sharks, but he nodded in quick agreement and the subject was closed.

"Speaking of which, what _about_ our new guests?" Storm asked.

"Kurt is, of course, always welcome here and will be staying with us at least for the moment," Xavier said, intentionally leading with the less controversial – if more painful – of the two. "He has agreed to let Henry run some tests and see what he can find out about his loss of powers."

"And Emma?" Scott pressed.

Xavier hesitated. "Scott, I can't turn my back on a mutant who has asked for asylum, regardless of their history."

Again, Scott nodded reluctantly.

"Magneto's escape was regrettable," Xavier continued. "But considering the circumstances, I'd say we should all count our blessings. John Allerdyce and Pietro Maximoff are both in S.H.I.E.L.D. custody. Unfortunately, as we feared, Cain Marko managed to escape before our return to the mansion and remains at large."

"I hate to ask," Wolverine interjected, "but how's the government reacting to all this?"

"Jean's… unorthodox solution" – here Scott shifted uncomfortably as Xavier continued – "limited collateral damage and loss of life. They are of course condemning Magneto's acts as typical mutant terrorism, but the military and the President have both formally acknowledged the X-Men's part in averting the crisis."

"Any lingering environmental effects?" Storm added.

"If anyone was going to be affected, it would be us," Scott pointed out. "And Hank has given us all a clean bill of health."

"Yes," Xavier agreed. "Jean is resting comfortably. Henry says there's hardly a scratch on her, but he wants to keep her overnight for observation. Hopefully this is the last time she has to call on the powers of the Phoenix."

xxxx

Several thousand miles away, Archangel's long voyage had finally come near its end. He swooped over most of sub-Saharan Africa with little notice, slowing only when he neared the massive pyramids of Giza.

There was a new, very different pyramid at Giza. It had gone unnoticed due to a combination of psychic suggestion and unusual sandstorm activity. It was to this pyramid that Archangel directed his course, landing lightly on the impressive balcony – a feature not shared by any other pyramid in the world.

A large, imposing figure loomed in the shadows. Archangel immediately dropped to one knee in abject submission.

"Lord Apocalypse," Archangel greeted. "I regret that I have failed you. Emma Frost betrayed us. I was unable to stop the X-Men from learning of Magneto's mission. Through the aid of the Phoenix, the plan was thwarted."

Ominous laughter preceded the shadowy figure's reply. "The attack on the insignificant human city was only ever intended as a distraction," Apocalypse assured him. "You have done well, my herald. Come. There is much work to do."

xxxx

Based on the X-Men films of Bryan Singer and the X-Men comics by Marvel Comics

I do not own the X-Men, or any associated characters and concepts

Charles Xavier, aka Professor X  
Erik Lensherr, aka Magneto  
Emma Frost, aka White Queen  
Logan, aka Wolverine  
Dr. Jean Grey, aka Phoenix  
Scott Summers, aka Cyclops  
Ororo Munroe, aka Storm  
Marie D'Ancato, aka Rogue  
Bobby Drake, aka Iceman  
Piotr "Peter" Rasputin, aka Colussus  
Warren Worthington III, aka Archangel  
John Allerdyce, aka Pyro  
Pietro Maximoff, aka Quicksilver  
Alex Summers, aka Havok  
Dr. Henry "Hank" McCoy, aka Beast  
Jean-Paul Beaubier, aka Northstar  
Kitty Pryde, aka Shadowcat  
General Nick Fury, S.H.I.E.L.D. Director  
Cain Marko, aka Juggernaut  
Agent Carol Danvers, aka Ms. Marvel  
Kurt Wagner, aka Nightcrawler


End file.
